Plan for a Resilient Oregon Kicks Off Statewide Resilience Forum

Salem, OR — Today, the Plan for a Resilient Oregon (PRO), a resilience strategy under development by the Office of Governor Kotek, hosted the inaugural meeting of the Statewide Resilience Forum. The PRO will inform the work of Executive Branch agencies and the Governor’s recommended budget and legislative work for the next biennium.

Governor Kotek attended today’s inaugural meeting.

"Oregonians don't need another plan that sits on a shelf. They need real investment in what makes their communities stronger,” Governor Kotek said. “The intention behind the Plan for a Resilient Oregon is to hear directly from the people living these challenges every day and to act on what they tell us."

The PRO is a people-centered, resilience and multi-hazard strategy to help communities around Oregon adapt and thrive in the face of increasingly severe disasters. The PRO is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery, and initial work began in the Spring of 2025.

"The 2020 fires taught us that recovery starts and ends at the local level, but it can’t succeed without strong state partnerships,” Matthew Havniear, Executive Director of the Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group and regional facilitator for the Southern Oregon PRO Plan said. “For organizations like ours, this plan reinforces local leadership, builds capacity, and emphasizes collaboration and coordination. Together, we can build momentum to respond faster, support survivors, and build long-term resilience across every corner of Oregon."

The Statewide Resilience Forum (Forum) brings together state agencies, counties, cities and community organizations to reflect statewide priorities and local realities in the plan. Five Regional Resilience Forums across Oregon will inform the statewide forum directly. Each regional forum includes community-based organizations across Oregon who have been contracted to support a range of community engagement activities, gather stories, host events, and share local priorities. Regional facilitators carry that input to the statewide table, where members spotlight successful practices, identify gaps, and shape new recommendations.

The Forum will meet monthly in virtual sessions from October through June 2026. Participants offer perspectives, review draft strategies, and advise on recommendations. A team of researchers from the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience are advising and writing the plan and support the Forum's work, which will inform the plan and help guide the Governor's policy and budget decisions for 2027-2029 biennium.

Additional information about the PRO and upcoming meetings can be found on the Governor’s website, linked here.

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